MAY 2012
It is nearing the end of May in Wisconsin, and the shades of green on the hillsides and in the woodlands are beyond description. Each spring our state becomes a paradise of new life - of resurrection and hope. Can there possibly be a more lush and verdant place on Earth? And perhaps this rebirth is a symbol of the renewal taking place all across Wisconsin. In cities and countrysides throughout our state we are reaffirming what it means to be a Wisconsinite - and in truth what it means to be an American. We are reaffirming our belief in fairness, in mutual respect, and in a sense of community and the common good. We are reaffirming our belief in life. As we go forward in the months ahead we know we will face problems and struggles. But let us remember that we live in Wisconsin. Let us remember that rebirth and renewal surround us.

The second annual Bob Fest was held at Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Ed Garvey started the original FightingBobFest in Baraboo over ten years ago. It was moved to Madison a few years ago to accommodate the thousands of people who attend. So now there are two BobFests in Wisconsin, one in spring in Chippewa Falls and the other in fall in Madison. It brings today’s best progressive speakers to the Midwest to inspire local people to speak and act on critical problems that endanger our democracy. It is a perfect place to remember Fighting Bob LaFollette who liked to speak at fairgrounds and parks around the state. During this time in Wisconsin politics, the need for clarity about how money influences elections, campaigns and government is greater than ever. There is so much I could tell you about the day. In the interest of space, I will give highlights. Time and again the speakers emphasized that this election is far bigger than Democrats versus Republicans. This is wealth and powerful corporations versus the people. Dana Schultz of Athens is the director of 9-5, an organization in Milwaukee working for equal rights for women. She reminded us that it is the middle-class that creates jobs. “We all do better when we all do better.” Nino Amato (from the Amato Restaurants in Madison) is the director of Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups of Madison. Their mission is to reduce conflicts of interest between prescribers and pharmaceutical and medical device companies. He recommended two books: The Time of Our Lives by Tom Brokaw and That Used to Be Us by Tom Friedman. He reminded us that it took over 100 years to gain women suffrage. Bob Kincaid of West Virginia is a union progressive hillbilly. He hosts a radio show: HORN (Head-On-Radio Network) in Appalachia. He told about the coal companies that have blown off the tops of 500 mountains, burying 2000 miles of streams. He told how the ideas of Bob LaFollette caught fire in West Virginia. He reminded us that the nation is watching Wisconsin. If the Corporate Powers can destroy Wisconsin, they can win anywhere. Mike McCabe gave a wonderful, fact-filled speech, as usual. He reminded us that the more money involved, the less democracy there is. Because of the work of investigative journalists, many people now know about Citizens United and ALEC. Mike McCabe advised us to think about where we want to START in our work with Wisconsin politics. For the past year, we have concentrated on what we want to STOP, namely Governor Walker and his radical ideas. Currently, he sees two political parties: one is scarey and the other is scared. The Democratic Party is damaged and we need to recover its purpose of progress for every person. Politicians need to be free to lead, not to be obliged to financial supporters. If you want to know how to develop a progressive party, follow the path of the 1911 session of the Wisconsin Legislatures. We need to do what citizens need, not what corporate power and money desire. Mahlon Mitchell, candidate for Lieutenant Governor, gave a dazzling speech. So did Ruth Conniff of the Progressive. I knew that John Nichols writes very well. However, I had never heard him speak and I was riveted to my chair. I couldn’t even take notes. He gave a sensational speech. Then Senator Kathleen Vinehout spoke. Again we stood many many times applauding loudly. She told how Gov. Walker found the state surplus by delaying payment of bills. This only adds to the interest our state owes. He re-financed the existing debt. The Governor delayed more debt than Gov. Doyle did in his 8 years of office. I left that afternoon session with my ears ringing and my head full of information and ideas, resolved to do all I can to get out the vote on June 5.

“Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore.”
--Cesar Chavez

Working Wisconsin - Labor News and Views
Divide and Conquer
By John Spiegelhoff - Merrill, WI “A single twig breaks, but the bundle of twigs is strong.” – Tecumseh Shawnee Chief

“Most people in the country are looking at everything that’s happened. It just seems it is one disaster after another after another. People are starting to connect the dots.”
--Anthony Leiserowitz of Yale University, one of the researchers who commissioned a new poll showing 69 per cent of Americans believe extreme weather is probably made worse by global warming.

A certain Father had a family of Sons, who were forever quarreling among themselves. No words he could say did the least good, so he cast about in his mind for some very striking example that should make them see that discord would lead them to misfortune. One day when the quarreling had been much more violent than usual and each of the Sons was moping in a surly manner, he asked one of them to bring him a bundle of sticks. Then handing the bundle to each of his Sons in turn he told them to try to break it. But although each one tried his best, none was able to do so. The Father then untied the bundle and gave the sticks to his Sons to break one by one. This they did very easily. M " y Sons,"said the Father, " o you not see how certain it is that if you agree with each other d and help each other, it will be impossible for your enemies to injure you? But if you are divided among yourselves, you will be no stronger than a single stick in that bundle." (Aesop) . When you go out in the world, watch for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. (Robert Fulghum - All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten) I am astonished on a daily basis how the State of Wisconsin has come to a point where neighbor is pitted against neighbor, communities are divided and workers are demonized. It is truly surreal the animosity between us. I grieve for my State. It is only together that we can accomplish great things, great ideas and great communities. The myth of the self-made man must be rejected. The vast majority of us are workers. There are few that are born with silver spoons in our mouths. When we believe the myths that divide and conquer us, we are weak and will be exploited. That is exactly the reasons that Unions were formed-to fight for economic and social justice. I hear the echo chamber that Unions have outlived their usefulness. Really? Would economic and social justice be maintained without Unions? Would corporations pay workers a living wage and not just a minimum wage without Unions? Are single twigs stronger that a bundle of sticks? I had an interesting conversation the other day. An acquaintance told me that he was talking to another person about the myth of the self-made man and he argued that there are some who just cannot keep their heads above water due to conditions that are not in their control. He asked this person how we should treat these people in our community. The person responded by saying something like “Well that is just their lot in life and “they” should not get any assistance.” He then asked could you please make a list of specific people’s names in his community who should live so miserably and we should not help out. The conversation abruptly changed. He put a real face on the issue-he put a human face on the divisive ideals that this person expounded. Would your views change if you had to personally tell your neighbor “tough luck for you-no helping hand.” Unity - not division is a Wisconsin value. Enough is enough.

“Banking is a huge leech on our economy. 40% of every dollar we spend on goods and services - 40% of all that we create and all we consume - is siphoned off the top as bank interest in one form or another. (Calculations of Margrit Kennedy) The US Government is in the absurd position of paying interest to a private bank for every dollar that is put into circulation.” “Five hundred billion dollars could be saved annually just by refinancing the federal debt through our own central bank, interestfree.”
Ignoring the Crisis: Philadelphia Schools Are Crumbling - - Ellen Brown Truthout

Governor Walker has many claims to fame in his sixteen months in office. He, along with the Republican controlled legislature, slashed funding to education, weakened laws that protect the wetlands, and used $36 million dollars from the federal government that was to go to homeowners to balance a budget that is supposedly “balanced.” Nine state agencies gave out bonuses or raises to 218 employees to the tune of $765,195. The Milwaukee Journal stated: These bonuses come as the state faces a $143 million shortfall and after state workers took pay cuts through provisions in the collective bargaining law. Another claim to fame for the governor is not widely known. Governor Walker is the only governor in Wisconsin’s history to set up a legal defense fund. Let me give a brief history of the “John Doe” investigation and a legal fund. A John Doe investigation is a secret probe in which authorities can compel witnesses to testify and turn over evidence. This investigation began in May, 2010, while Scott Walker was the Milwaukee County Executive. Six people who worked with him while he was Milwaukee County Executive have been charged with a total of fifteen felonies and three misdemeanors. Darlene Wink, a former aide, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor political corruption charges in February. Her sentencing has been delayed because she agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in ongoing investigations of other close associates of Walker. On February 22, four felony misconduct in office charges were filed against Kelly Rindfleisch, his former deputy chief of staff. Tim Russell, Walker’s former deputy of staff and long time friend, and Kevin Kavanaugh, Walker’s appointment to the Milwaukee County Veterans Service commission, are charged with stealing more than $63,000 intended for veterans and their families. The money was spent on Caribbean cruises and renewing Walker-for-Governor websites. The pair is charged with multiple felonies. The home of Cindy Archer, a former top-ranking aide to Walker, was raided by the FBI last year. The John Doe inquiry has broadened its focus to bid-rigging or other misconduct. Authorities are also investigating a secret email network used during his time as county executive. This secret email system was setup to hide activities that directly benefited his career and to evade transparency. The FBI, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, and others are involved in the investigation. Walker has retained criminal defense attorneys who specialize in representing criminal defendants and grand jury targets and owed $55,000-- through December 31, 2011--to two law firms. These attorneys bill at a rate of over $1,000/hour. Recently, $60,000 was transferred to the legal defense fund. Wisconsin statutes allow government officials to seek contributions to defense funds only if they are being investigated or charged with a violation of either campaign finance or other election laws.

The above information is something to consider on June 5th when you go to vote.

Middle Wisconsin News

May 24, 2012 Page 5

Endorsement of Recalls
By Jeanne Larson - Phillips

QUESTION: Who made this glowing endorsement of Wisconsin’s recall process?

“The 2008 2009 economic crisis presents us with an enormous opportunity: to rediscover our values - as people, as families, as communities of faith, and as a nation. It is a moment of decision we dare not pass by.”
-- Jim Wallis

“You know, the folks that were angry about this started a recall, and they were told they needed to collect 73,000 signatures in sixty days. . . . Tens of thousands of ordinary people did an extraordinary thing. . . . In less than thirty days they collected more than 150,000 signatures. It . . . wasn’t just about anger. . . . What happened was really amazing. You saw people standing up shoulder to shoulder, neighbor to neighbor, and saying, ‘We want our government back.’ And in doing so, the real emotion on display was about hope.” ANSWER: Scott Walker, candidate for Governor, in a May 2010 ad, referring to the 2002 recall of his predecessor as Milwaukee County Executive. Google Taking Our Government Back Walker to view it. Now Walker wants to discredit recalls. Google Kristi Recall Sour Grapes to view his November 2011 ad: Kristi, High School Teacher: “I’m not big on recalls. . . . It feels a little like sour grapes. . . . We didn’t get our way and so we want to change the outcomes.” Google CNBC Walker November 2011 to find Walker’s interview where he said, “A minority of voters will get to force a new election in Wisconsin . . . .” Wisconsin’s Government Accountability Board (GAB) website indicates 900,938 of the 931,053 Recall Walker petition signatures presented were deemed valid. 540,208 signatures were needed for a recall. GAB’s site recites rulings made by the courts and GAB on all legal and procedural challenges to the recall. The recall is legitimate. Listen closely to political ads and discussions. Use critical thinking skills. Ask questions. Do some research. Who paid for the ad? Where does their funding come from? Do they have a bias or motive? Are definitions clear? Is proof presented to support opinions? Are statements taken out of context? Is emotional reasoning impairing clear thinking? Are issues oversimplified? If misinformation is repeated often enough, does it become true?

“Then Sam Fathers, standing just behind the boy as he had been standing when the boy shot his first running rabbit with his first gun and almost with the first load it ever carried, touched his shoulder and he began to shake, not with any cold. Then the buck was there, looking not like a ghost but as if all of the light were condensed in him and he were the source of it, not only moving in it but disseminating it, already running, seen first as you always see the deer, in that split second after he has already seen you, already slanting away in that first soaring bound, the antlers even in that dim light looking like a small rocking-chair balanced on his head. “Now,” Sam Fathers said, “shoot quick and slow.” The boy did not remember that shot at all. He would live to be eighty, as his father and his father’s twin brother and their father in his turn had lived to be, but he would never hear that shot nor remember even the shock of the gun-butt.” “So the instant came. He pulled the trigger and Sam Fathers marked his face with the hot blood which he had spilled and he ceased to be a child and became a hunter and a man.” -- William Faulkner “Go Down Moses”

Hi, my name is Jody, but it could be Sue, Bill, John, or Jill because I’m no different than many of you. I was born, raised, and now choose to live in Wisconsin. For thirty-eight years this land has nurtured and supported me. I write this today because I fear that nurturing and supportive nature is fundamentally changing. I perceive that attitudes are coming to surface so rapidly and with so much venom we may find it hard to move forward together again. When I was a boy in the early eighties the economy was bad. Jobs -decent paying jobs that could pay for food, mortgage, clothes, and end worry - were difficult to come by. At least they were in my house. Inflation was soaring, interest rates were solidly in the teens, and our household was waiting for our piece of the American pie to trickle down. Without the weekly unemployment checks, blocks of government cheese, and the goodwill of friends and family, our situation would have been much worse. The commonwealth of the people, our shared taxes, helped my family weather the storm of misfortune. Another asset of the commonwealth (Common: of or relating to a community at large, Wealth: all material objects that have economic utility; especially: the stock of useful goods having economic value in existence at any one time) that proved the difference for me and my family is our educational system. I was an able student, but willful and challenging. There were so many educators that took extra concern with me and brought me back to the straight and narrow when I strayed. As a reflective adult I see this clearly now. At the time I found them meddlesome, but what perspective does a student have on the role of the educator? This is one aspect I find troubling right now. The armchair quarterbacking going on relative to teachers is galling. As if someone over twenty years removed from the experience, and immature when the experience was gained, has any useful insight into the position of our public teachers. No one at large has the competence to judge the worth of a teacher’s compensation. Few understand the commitment, the schooling required as a prerequisite, the sacrifice, and the bargaining that brought them to this pass. Rather than envy a fellow citizen their compensation, we should hold them as a standard for the whole of society. Devaluing their status of compensation only devalues our own. Not to mention that reduced compensation lessens the possibility of the best entering the profession as the best have options. Do we want the best for our children or do we want the mediocre? I grew up in a family that relied on deer hunting for sustenance. We didn’t hunt for the glory of shooting some Boone and Crocket trophy. My dad was fond of saying “You can’t eat the antlers anyways.” The deer herd then was not robust and it was quite a bit of work to bag a deer. Doe tags were rare and it was a treat to see more than a few flashes of brown in the woods. Today, because of decades of academic practices, we have a thriving deer herd that is the envy of many states. The whitetail of Wisconsin is a prized asset of our shared tax resource, our commonwealth. Our dollars, spanning generations, have paid for the current bounty. Our shared lands, which our money paid for, are managed to produce timber, to produce game, to produce water. These shared resources provided so much for us. My family didn’t have money to go to exotic locations for vacation, but we could go tubing down the river or bobber fish for bluegill. We could get a permit for windfall timber and cut enough firewood to feed our woodstove all winter long. We could pitch a camp at a state park and “Escape to Wisconsin.” We were from here and proud to say so. I now read that some would have us pay in excess of $750 per deer permit (a 3,000% increase) and that public lands should be sold to private interests because private management is so much more effective than government managed lands. I am confused, startled, angry, sad, and unable to comprehend why anyone from here would want to sell off our most valuable asset.

The Commonwealth Public Land
‘I can’t repudiate it. It was never mine to repudiate. It was never Father’s and Uncle Buddy’s to bequeath to me to repudiate because it was never Grandfather’s to bequeath them to bequeath me to repudiate because it was never old Ikkemotubbe’s to sell to Grandfather for bequeathment and repudiation. Because it was never Ikkemotubbe’s fathers’ fathers’ to bequeath Ikkemotubbe to sell to Grandfather or any man because on the instant when Ikkemotubbe discovered, realized, that he could sell it for money, on that instant it ceased ever to have been his forever, father to father to father’
--William Faulkner “Go Down Moses”

If some government managed assets are deemed not to be in the best interest of our commonwealth why not extrapolate that further? Roads are expensive, requiring huge amounts of cash to build and maintain. We the people really don’t even get the best utilization of them. Freight transportation companies do. Our highways and interstates are choked with tractor-trailers pounding down our tax dollar bought and paid for concrete and blacktop. Our cars do not apply nearly the wear and tear that these vehicles do. And since private business is so much more efficient why don’t we sell off our roads to them? The reason is because we’d not be able to afford driving anywhere of significance. If you think air travel is expensive, sit down and do the math on traveling on a private roadway. The only way that level of infrastructure can be created and maintained is by our combined and shared revenue. Those freight haulers pay their share too by the way, but they couldn’t foot the burden alone. We all share in the cost of so much: police protection, fire protection, roadways, corrections, water/air/soil protection. The common citizen as well as businesses all pay taxes to support these and many other enrichments to our lives, so for some to think that government serves no role or is inherently inefficient is incredibly ignorant and naïve. In 2008 it was not the government needing a bail out. GM, Chrysler and Wall Street did not lend money to Uncle Sam. Rather it was “We the People” (i.e. the government) rescuing them from their own financial ineptitude. The apologists blame the unions for the woes of these corporations. Other apologists absolve unions of any blame. Common sense dictates that both sides share in the trouble and both sides would need to bend to correct the situation. Isn’t that where we stand right now in Wisconsin? Special interest money brought this ideological, political war to our state. The extremists currently holding public office would have us believe that money is union money. It is true that some union money is in the campaign. It is also true that Scott Walker brought in over $23 million in out of state donations. His super-sized yard signs and endless television ads are testament to the cash he has on hand. That the Wisconsin teacher’s union would throw some money in to this fray makes sense to me as they have much at stake. That well healed people from other states would donate tens of thousands of dollars to a governor from Wisconsin does not make sense. People with that kind of money are not in the habit of wasting their resources. These are men and women that place their money in ventures where they can reasonably expect a return on their investment. So please ask yourself: what return are they expecting here? Cheap land? Private schools? Relaxed environmental regulations to ensure lower operating expenses? Busted unions to ensure lower wages and benefits? What level of political favor would you expect if you handed a politician a check for $500,000? I’m a son of Wisconsin. Wisconsin and her people have been good to me. I thrive here. I belong here. I live here. I believe in Wisconsin. I believe in our shared resources that our forebears paid for - our commonwealth. I believe that we can disagree, that we can debate, that we can be wary of each other but can overcome our differences. But the key is HOW we treat each other in the process. Our current leader admits to using “divide and conquer” tactics against his constituents divide me from you and conquer us both. But we are the power. We cannot stand for a leader who will not compromise or consider another perspective – that is divisive at best and destructive at worst. Scott Walker is destructive. He arouses our basest nature and lures us to be dismissive of our neighbor. We’ve all been taught to love our neighbor. We’ve been taught to treat others the way we wish to be treated. Right now there is another “Jody” out there needing the help that this Jody received. Some need much more. We should not be looking to remove our tax dollars from these people. We should be looking to remove our current governor and replace him with someone deserving of us. Please join me in recalling Scott Walker on June 5.

The North Central Labor Coalition observed Workers’ Memorial Day with a reading of the names of local workers injured, killed or who have died from illnesses related to the work-

“You see, Dr. King understood that it is organizing that makes us most human. He knew that when we use our social nature to lift each other up, we express our full humanity. We don't realize our potential in life the way corporate America and their media tells us -- not by pushing others aside or crawling over anyone else's back or kissing somebody's a**, but by linking arms and lifting everyone, everyone's family, everyone's kids, everyone's standard of living. And so today, my brothers and sisters, we are confronted by his memory. We are called by his struggle. We are challenged by his sacrifice." -- Stewart Acuff

place contaminates. The pictured Workers’ Memorial stone was dedicated as well as the memorial tree planting. Speakers for the program included John Spiegelhoff, AFSCME Council 40, Father Dean Einerson, St. Augustine’s, Rhinelander (pictured), Julie Allen, AFSCME Council 40, Fred Andrist, NTU UniServ Director and Paul Knuth, Master of Ceremonies, Oneida County Democratic Party Chair. Fifty people joined in a Solidarity Sing, refreshments, and received red pine seedlings to commemorate the day. The event was co-sponsored by Northwoods Grassroots Labor Activists.

Who are the main Job Creators? Consumers Who are one of the main consumers? Workers Henry Ford knew that if he raised his workers wages he would have more consumers to buy his cars! In a poor economy the last thing you want to do is lower wages and benefits of your main consumers which drives down consumer confidence and buying power! Scott Walker with his "Divide And Conquer Approach" and "His assault on Workers" has lowered consumer confidence and buying power in Wisconsin! Henry Ford understood how a consumer driven economy works ! Scott Walker and Jerry Petrowski don't! Tom Barrett, Mahlon Mitchell and Donna Seidel do! That's why I urge you to vote for Tom Barrett, Mahlon Mitchell and Donna Seidel June 5th! Randy Radtke President Marathon County Labor Council AFL-CIO

“Life, not money, is the measure of real wealth value.” “Real wealth also includes all the many things of intrinsic, spiritual, or utilitarian value that are essential to maintaining the various forms of living wealth.” “They include healthful food, fertile land, pure water, clean air, caring relationships and loving parents, education, healthcare, fulfilling opportunities for service, and time for meditation and spiritual reflection.”
--David Korten Agenda for a New Economy

Governor Walker goes about the nation speaking and raising money about “dropping the bomb” on Wisconsin and Wisconsinites. As we can see, this strategy has been very lucrative for him. To date over $23,000,000 has come to his campaign with 70% or more from out of state with much more to come. His campaign has a 25 to 1 advantage over Mayor Tom Barrett. The Koch brothers have given $1,700,000 (Koch Industries--oil, paper, and many other entities). But who are the victims of “dropping the bomb”? 1. Students. $1.6 billion was cut from education with more cuts to come. This cut was the largest in the state’s history and the largest in the nation. $1.6 billion translates to: A. Larger class sizes and less individualized attention for each student especially in the crucial early grades K-3. B. Course offerings were cut in the K-12 schools--art, music, computer sciences, technology, foreign languages, sciences, math, and so many other vital courses for the students who will be in global competition in the future. C. Drastic cuts to the technical school system means fewer welders, machinists, nurses, mechanics, accountants, and all the jobs that are so desperately needed to fill the demand of unfilled positions requiring a technical degree. 2. People on Badgercare/Medicaid. Possibly 111,000 low income people will be affected by cuts to Badgercare. More than 17,000 people will be leaving or will be turned away from the BadgerCarePlus health programs for the needy. One family was featured in the Wausau Daily Herald. The wife lost her vision due to a tumor and is unable to work. The husband was injured while working on the job and is unable to work. They will lose their health care. 3. The working poor and low income homeowners and renters have seen cuts to the Earned Income Credit and the Homestead Credit resulting in an increase for them. 4. All of us have been affected in one way or another by the “bomb” being dropped on Wisconsin. Just look around! Scott Walker also is proud of the “divide and conquer” tactic. (You can see this on YouTube.) This netted him $510,000 alone from Diane Hendricks of Wisconsin with money pouring into his campaign from those who want to fuel the fire of “divide and conquer.” As we can see this strategy has worked: The hard working private sector is pitted against the hardworking public sector. The private sector are the “have nots” while the public sector are the “haves” even though statistics are available that for comparable jobs/education/experience the public sector makes less. Families, friends, co-workers won’t speak to each other because of the “divide and conquer” strategy. Here are the questions we need to consider when we vote in this historic election on June 5th: What bombs await us if Scott Walker is re-elected? Who will be the next sector to be divided? Who/what will be conquered next? Are these the strategies we want for our state? Who will heal the state and bring us together?

“The most important forms of wealth are beyond price and are unavailable for market purchase. These include healthy, happy children, loving families, caring communities, and a beautiful, healthy, natural environment.”
-- David Korten Agenda for a New Economy

The April 26, 2012, Points North section of The Bee, quotes Republican Assemblyman, now State Senate candidate Jerry Petrowski at a Price County Republican Party dinner: “Mining here would have looked the same as the gravel pit in Marathon County , and would have brought in more money to the area.” Petrowski voted for AB426, the mining bill introduced December 8, 2011 , by Assembly Republicans. Petrowski’s opponent, Democratic Assemblyman, now State Senate candidate Donna Seidel, voted against AB426. Gogebic Taconite (GTAC), a Florida-based company, proposes to strip mine taconite, a low-grade iron ore, in 21,000 acres along 21 miles of the Penokee Range in Ashland and Iron Counties just south of Copper Falls State Park . This watershed area flows into Lake Superior . GTAC Managing Director Matt Fifield says, “The Cline Group is one of the nation’s largest privately-held mining companies. . . . Gogebic Taconite . . . is a wholly-owned entity of the Cline Group.” Read about Cline Group owner Christopher Cline by googling Forbes Billionaire List. The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD), prwatch.org, suggests GTAC wrote AB426 because no legislators were listed as authors. CMD states: “The Assembly proposal would make numerous changes to current law, including regarding how mines can affect waterways, wetlands and groundwater. The new bill drastically limits the time available to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for processing permit requests to 360 days. Similar permit requests in Minnesota took between two and four years. The new bill also places a two million dollar cap on the amount a company must reimburse the DNR for costs associated with processing a request. Any expense beyond the two million dollar cap would come from the DNR’s budget. Similar mining permits elsewhere have cost between three and four million dollars, and the DNR already faces severe cuts.” Follow CMD’s links to track Cline’s Wisconsin campaign donations. Some criticisms of AB426: it guts mining-related environmental safeguards, eliminates public input, reduces revenues to local communities, rushes the permit review process, opens up possibility for damaging water quality, and jeopardizes federal flood insurance because of exemptions for dumping mining waste into floodplains. Petrowski and Political Action Committees supporting him say Seidel voted against creating jobs by voting against AB426. Seidel, in Phillips on April 27, 2012 , said she voted against bad legislation, not against mining or creating jobs; that the issue is not dead; and that she wishes to form a committee, including engineers, scientists, legislators, and people that live in the area, to create mining legislation that balances economic and environmental concerns. Her common-sense approach on this important issue is just one reason to vote for Seidel on June 5.

Freedom for All
Does the Obama Administration’s rule on insurance coverage for contraception unconstitutionally deny religious liberty? Cardinal Timothy Dolan has called American Catholics to a campaign of civil disobedience and social action to defend the Church against the “unprecedented incursion into freedom of conscience” of the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that insurance companies must provide contraceptives as preventive care with no deductible or co-pay. As the leader of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Dolan has challenged his flock to participate in a period of prayer and study, leading up to a period of national advocacy and civil disobedience – a “Fortnight for Freedom” – in opposition to the Administration’s preventive care package. Family Planning Health Services (FPHS) would like you to help us answer the bishops’ call to defend religious liberty. Join us in a public discussion of first amendment protections of religious freedom in America, its meaning and history, in the context of contraceptive coverage. Share your thoughts and questions with those who agree or who disagree and, most significantly, with those who are open to reason or persuasion. We will invite, record, and post commentary. We will use social media to encourage wider participation. Contact Lon Newman at NewmanL@fphs.org or Dino Corvino at CorvinoD@fphs.org if you would like to participate in the public discussion.

“Let us rise to the occasion. We must now move forward with a New Economy agenda to dismantle and replace Wall Street institutions that champion the seven deadly sins of pride, greed, envy, anger, lust, gluttony and sloth with New Economy institutions that champion the life affirming virtues of humility, sharing, love, compassion, self-control, moderation and passion.”
-- David Korten Agenda for a New Economy

Middle Wisconsin News

May 24, 2012 Page 14

CHALLENGING THE MYTH...

“And if all others accepted the lie which the party imposed—if all records told the same tale— then the lie passed into history and became the truth.” —George Orwell, 1984 (published in 1949)

The Myth That Debt Reduction Measures Are Intended To Reduce The Debt
By Dave Svetlik

“It’s not nice to say this (but the truth is rarely nice): whatever they may say, Republicans are not concerned, above all, about the deficit. In fact, it’s not clear that they care about the deficit at all. They’re trying to use deficit concerns to push through their goal of dismantling the Great Society and, if possible, the New Deal; they have stated explicitly that they want to reduce taxes on high incomes to pre-New-Deal levels.” Paul Krugman - Noble prize winner in economics. http://truth-out.org/articles/item/879 “Realistically, the budget-deficit plan conceived by Republican Representative Paul D. Ryan would sharply increase the deficit — because its spending cuts are in many cases impossible, and its supposed revenue neutrality is a sham.” Paul Krugman http://truthout.org/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1374:the-debt-ceiling-as-a-bargaining-chip "Starving the beast" is a fiscal-political strategy of American conservatives[1][2][3] to cut taxes in order to deprive the government of revenue in a deliberate effort to create a fiscal budget crisis that is intended to force the federal government to reduce spending (rather than restore tax levels). The short and medium term effect of the strategy has been increased United States public debt rather than reduced spending. The term "beast" refers to the government and the programs it funds, particularly social programs[4] such as welfare, Social Security, Medicare[3] and public schools; and does not usually refer to spending on military, law enforcement or prisons. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starve_the_beast

We are all only too aware that Wisconsinites and Americans in general are being driven into hardship because of government debt and deficit. For several years we have listened to the lie - and yes, it is a lie and we must repeatedly say so - that excessive government spending caused the problem and we now must sacrifice to pay for our profligate ways. The record does not support this. Numbers are boring, but they are critical to understanding. Federal spending ranged from 18.84 percent of GDP in 1970, to 22.92 in 1982, to 20.65 in 2008. In other words, government spending hadn’t changed in 40 years. Because of bank bailouts and stimulus funding, federal spending rose 4 to 5 percent in 2009 – 2010, but has since been returning to historic levels. There has never been excessive government spending. Government debt is another matter. It remained at about 35 percent of GDP from 1970 through 1982 when the introduction of “trickle-down economics” caused dramatic change. Federal debt rose to 39 percent of GDP in 1983 and ongoing tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy, along with deregulation of the financial industry, methodically and deliberately continued this growth to 69.15 percent in 2008. We know how to cure America’s debt problems. The Great Depression taught us that austerity measures will fail - that investing in the public good, raising progressive and corporate taxes, and regulating a parasitic financial industry return us to prosperity. But reducing America’s debt has never been the goal. Government debt is a tool. It is a tool to kill social security and Medicare – a tool to privatize schools, prisons and police forces, to steal our public lands, parks and waterways. It is a tool to scapegoat public employees while hiding the real culprits – a tool to enable the total and deliberate destruction of our democracy by corporations and the super rich.